4th Mercatone Uno - Memorial Pantani - 1.1

Cesenatico, Italy, June 9, 2007

Pellizotti packs a punch

Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) has won the fourth edition of the Mercatone Uno
- Memorial Pantani by out-sprinting his breakaway companion Luca Mazzanti (Ceramica
Panaria-Navigare) in the final metres on the slightly uphill run-in to the finish.

The memorial race is held each year in the vicinities of Cesenatico and Cesena,
where Marco Pantani lived most of his life. This area next to the Adriatic sea
offers plenty of good riding, and climbs like the one up nearby San Marino ensure
good training grounds for a climber like Pantani was.

Before the race got underway Pantani's parents, several locals, including kids
from the Pantani racing club, and Danilo Di Luca put down flowers in front of
the Pantani memorial in Cesenatico that honours his life.

The race, which was held under perfect weather conditions, started with lots
of attacks early on, and eventually a break of 24 riders formed. At km 130 attacks
from within whittled down the group to eleven riders, including the two Liquigas
favourites, Franco Pellizotti and Vincenzo Nibali.

The decisive move came with 20km to go, when Pellizotti attacked on the slopes
of the Montevecchio. Only Luca Mazzanti could follow the vicious acceleration
and the two crested the top together with a good advantage over the breakaway
group.

They were working well together and reached the finishing straight in Cesena
with a lead of more than half a minute. Mazzanti did not have a chance in the
two-up sprint against the experienced Pellizotti.

Pasquale Muto (Miche) got the last remaining podium spot, 38 seconds back,
while Nibali finished in sixth, a little over two minutes back. Danilo Di Luca
did not finish the race and managed to get to the finishing area before the
sprint so he could cheer on his teammates.